Page 14 - Gi flipbook April 2019

in hy demand

tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions
every year, the equivalent of taking 2.5
million cars off the road.
During discussions with Keele
University, it emerged that the
university had its own private gas
network – ideal for piloting hydrogen
blending under test conditions.
In addition, it was developing a
programme, working with businesses,
academics and graduates, to create
Europe’s first ‘at scale’ multi-
energy-vector smart energy network
demonstrator – where new energy-
efficient technologies could be
researched, developed and tested in a
real world environment.
In partnership with Keele University
and Northern Gas Networks, Cadent
assembled a consortium of experts
to deliver the pilot. These included
the Health and Safety Laboratory
(HSL), integrated hydrogen energy
systems manufacturer ITM Power, and AERIAL VIEW OF KEELE UNIVERSITY
independent clean energy company
Progressive Energy, supported by testing,
inspection and certification world
leaders KIWA Gastec and specialist
engineering consultancy Otto Simon.
In 2016, the consortium was awarded
£7 million of funding from Ofgem’s
Network Innovation Competition, with
Cadent and Northern Gas Networks each
investing £365,000.
The project was divided into three
phases. During the first phase, a robust
body of scientific evidence was gathered effect of blended gas on appliances. Kiwa will be removed and the results analysed.
to support an application to the HSE field tested more than 230 appliances, HyDeploy doesn’t require changes
for an exemption to the Gas Safety from domestic cookers to industrial to appliances or the gas network so
(Management) Regulations. boilers. In all cases they performed just potentially we could be running homes
as safely on the blend as on natural gas. on blended hydrogen within a few years.
Good customer engagement was key to Blending could also provide the
It is proposed that hydrogen the success of the testing programme. pathway to conversion to full hydrogen,
would also be blended with This was very successful, building on helping consumers become accustomed
natural gas to heat two million a well-developed customer engagement to hydrogen and stimulating the large-
homes in Cheshire, Merseyside plan and a dedicated customer liaison scale production of hydrogen.
officer who put the needs of the
The potential benefits are enormous.
and Greater Manchester and customers first. A hydrogen economy could generate
that further infrastructure With support from appliance thousands of British jobs – we calculate
would follow, enabling manufacturers, a test facility will be 5,000 would be created in the North
set up to allow accelerated testing of
West alone as a result of HyNet.
hydrogen to fuel transport boilers supplied and instrumented by Hydrogen-fuelled transport has the
four key manufacturers. potential to transform air quality in
This allows HyDeploy to inject more Work has begun on the second our cities, while hydrogen blending
hydrogen than the current UK limit phase; construction of the equipment would see a six per cent reduction in
of 0.1 per cent. Before any hydrogen to produce, blend and monitor the carbon emissions from domestic heat
could enter Keele’s gas network, the hydrogen in the network. without any changes to the gas network,
HyDeploy consortium had to prove that This will include the installation of appliances or consumer behaviour.
a hydrogen/natural gas blend was as electrolysers, by ITM Power, which We can do all of this today without any
safe as natural gas. use renewable electricity to produce new technology – just the will and the
The Health and Safety Laboratory hydrogen by splitting water into drive to make it happen.
managed the scientific programme for hydrogen and oxygen.
the project, drawing on national and The third phase, in which blended HyDeploy is a pioneering hydrogen
international evidence and laboratory hydrogen will flow into the gas network, energy project to reduce UK carbon
test work. will start later this year and will last for 12 dioxide CO₂ emissions. For more
One key area of testing focused on the months. After this time, the equipment information, visit www.hydeploy.co.uk

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